We live in a society that does not dream of a shared future. Many claim to have visions for the future, but these generally tend to be looking backward either directly or indirectly.  

Some look to the past for a vision. Knowing the past can be very important as many lessons have been learned the hard way. It would be best not to have to relearn in the same fashion. Knowing where you have been is a way to understand where you are going.  

However, instead of looking at the past as it was, they look at a mythologized rendition of the past, removing much of the value. This distorted version of the past acts as a mirage in the desert, glittering in the sun, with the allure of an oasis in the parched sands.  

Others look toward the future as a means of rectifying past mistakes. While this is ostensibly looking at the future, in many ways this is not really interacting with it. It is akin to getting on the horse backward. You will still be moving forward, but you will be doing so without really comprehending where you are going as well as any more immediate dangers.  

In this way, individuals can move toward a future without meaningfully interacting with it, consequently making themselves vulnerable like the horse rider is vulnerable to the unseen path in front of them. 

In fact, when was the last time you really heard someone talk about the future in politics? Were they speaking directly, and not through some campaign slogan or catchy jingle? I would bet your answer would be historic, rather than contemporary political figures.  

With this lack of vision, is it surprising that there is such stagnation in our politics? No one is truly looking to corner the market or change the game to bring in a new political era. Instead, parties and individuals entrench themselves, appealing to their bases and only quibbling at the margins haphazardly.  

This results in a seemingly never-ending battle with close elections between distant parties that engage in ever-more aggressive maneuvers to fire up their bases and either doubling down on old ideas or refusing to give an inch to the opposition, even when both could benefit, in order to deny their opponents “the win.”  

Thus our politics deadlocks, and with the deadlock there is stagnation.  

Individuals then look to the past and wonder how society was able to come together and do such large projects and other monumental tasks, especially in the face of large historical adversities.  

To respond and understand, I would bring up a quote from F.D.R. that in my opinion perfectly encapsulates the sentiment: “We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.”  

To get through the major crises of the past, individuals had to look forward to a shared future and work with each other toward goals. If they did not agree, at least they could have a vision forward. 

People may struggle to sacrifice in the name of the status quo. But people will be willing to drag themselves forward over shattered glass if given a vision that they can see and reach for. It is the difference between two individuals trapped under rubble, one with no light, and another with just a sliver of light shining through. 

The situation is the same as they are both buried under the same amount of rubble, yet vastly different. For the former individual, there may be seemingly no hope, as there is no way to truly know where you are going and consequently where one should go, thus making the situation seem hopeless. In contrast, the latter individual would have a glimpse of a way out, allowing them to move forward and struggle to get themselves out of the rubble. 

Without a vision to anchor yourself, you cannot truly move forward.